Euphoria
by Padfoots-Sister5
Summary: They didn't plan for this to happen. They didn't plan to be late to Potions on the same day and end up being partners. They didn't plan for an unexcpected friendship to blossom. And they certainly didn't plan for the catches that came with it.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So this is basically for all the lovely reviewers that have asked for me to continue my multiple Dramione one-shots. Since a lot of those, I personally feel I cannot continue, I'm starting this new Dramione story that I hope you will all enjoy! So please review! Feed-back is what keeps me going! **

Hermione's POV

I sprinted down a flight of stairs, excusing myself under my breath as I bumped into the people around me. It was times like these that I wished I had never returned my time-turner to Professor McGonagall. I could see the entrance to Potions class coming into view as I skidded down the stairs, careful not to trip over my own feet. As I reached for the door knob, a thin pale hand reached for it as well. I retracted my hand immediately, feeling my back stiffen.

"After you, mudblood." Draco sneered, adding a curtsy to his sarcastic remark. I rolled my eyes, ignoring his stupid comment and entered the classroom.

"_Ah! _Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy, lovely for you to finally join us. We were just discussing our newest project! Everyone will be partnering up and making an Elixir to Induce Euphoria." Professor Slughorn motioned us to approach his desk as he spoke. I scurried my way towards him, flashing Ron and Harry a quick smile.

Professor Slughorn continued to speak, this time in a hush whisper.

"I'm sorry to say, due to your tardiness, you will not be able to choose your partners. So, Mister Malfoy you shall be working with Miss Granger and -,"

"_What?" _I spat out completely bewildered. I couldn't _possibly_ be working with that incompetent, rude, revolting, self-centered, idio-

"You shall be working with Mister Malfoy." Professor Slughorn repeated, making sure to speak each word slowly.

"I know what you said!" I hollered at him. Professor Slughorn jumped obviously startled at the tone of my voice. Why wasn't _he _protesting? He was just standing there with that stupid grin on his face.

"Miss Granger, I'm sorry if this partnership makes you uncomfortable but I'm afraid you have no choice._ You _were tardy, so now _you _must pay the price." Professor Slughorn ignored my perplexed stare and continued shuffling papers around on his desk.

"But-,"

"Oh just shut it, Granger. We've got no choice." Draco snatched the Advanced Potions book that was tucked under my arm. I swiveled around seeing Draco making his way calmly towards an empty desk. My eyes searched for Harry and Ron but I couldn't seem to find them.

"Would you like an invitation?" I heard his icy cold voice shout from across the room. I grunted and walked towards his desk though every nerve of my body told me to storm out of the classroom. I hovered over him, not knowing whether I should sit down. It just didn't feel normal sitting next to Malfoy as though we were friendly potions partners. I wanted to run. I wanted to disappear and run and-

"Are you going to sit down or what?" Draco asked exasperatedly. Reluctantly I sat down, making sure to inch the farthest away from him that I possibly could.

"Granger, you do know I don't bite, right?" He chuckled as he scribbled down his name onto a notebook. I felt my whole body tense up. I couldn't stand this for much longer.

"Yeah…I know… you do worse." I muttered with my eyes glued to the pages of my notebook. Draco sighed in frustration and to my utter surprise, I felt his hands grip my shoulders and spin me around. His piercing grey eyes locked with mine and I'd never felt so frightened in my entire life. I didn't understand why I felt so scared – I just did.

"You're not technically my first choice as a partner, but if I'm going to have to put up with you, you're going to have to put up with me. This pointless banter isn't going to get us anywhere, and will definitely not get us an Outstanding. So if you truly do care about your grades, you'll shut up and just work with me." He let go of me just as soon as he stopped speaking, causing me to jerk back in my seat. I slumped down on the desk. I had to admit it. He was right.

"Okay." I whispered to the desk. I could feel my hands shaking and I knew this wasn't going to be easy. I straightened my back and regained my composure. I looked over to him with a new found determination. "Okay." I repeated, this time loud so he could hear me.

Draco's POV:

This was going to be a long set of weeks. This girl was making everything so damn difficult. Every time I inched towards her to write something down, she would stiffen up as if I was holding a bloody knife! When the class had ended, she didn't even bother to take her notebook. She ran out like a frightened little puppy, latching onto Weasel and Potter on her way out. I laid down on one of the couches in the Slytherin Common Room, stretching out my sore body. Why was I even stressing over her?

"I heard a certain blonde Slytherin had to partner up with a frizzy haired mudblood." Blaise's voice interrupted my thoughts. I opened my eyes to see him smirking over me with an apple in his left hand.

"Don't remind me." I muttered as I sat up, giving Blaise room to join me. I rubbed my face with my hands in exhaustion. How had the news spread so quickly? And why did people even care?

"News travels fast in Hogwarts, Draco." Blaise said, unknowingly answering my question. I could see it now; everyone huddled together gossiping over the fact that I was partnered with _Granger_. What would people think of me! It would tarnish my reputation that was for sure.

"That stupid little Gryffindor… she's going to ruin everything." I muttered before standing up from the couch and sulking off towards the library.

Hermione's POV:

I loved the library. I loved the feeling of being surrounded by books; by knowledge. I loved the way I'm engulfed by peaceful silence as I curled up in a ball on my favorite chair whilst reading a book. I stood up and made my way towards the Potions section, might as well do some research while I'm at it. I grazed the margins of the books with the tips of my fingers. As I reached the end of the shelf, my fingers met not a book, but a hand. I looked up startled.

"Following me now are you, Malfoy? Did you get this idea we were mates and you could come springing up on me whenever you like? We're not buddies now, and we're most certainly not friends so you can go right back where you-," he shoved a book into my arms, silencing my rant. I flipped it around a few times in my hands, still unaware of what it was.

"A notebook… _my _notebook? My potions notebook…" I suddenly felt very, _very _stupid. I could feel the heat rushing to my cheeks. Malfoy must be getting a kick out of this.

"Oh." I whispered, cracking a half smile. I looked up, bracing myself to meet his face, but he was already walking away. But before he could vanish out of sight, I manage to choke out two words that obviously surprised him, but mostly, surprised _me: _"Thank you!"

Draco's POV

As I walked through the hallways, I could _feel _the stares of the people around me. They'd acted as if I wasn't standing right in front of them! It wasn't as if I'd chose to work with her. I needed some air.

As I walked outside, I felt the cool wind brush against my skin, immediately waking me up. And what was that in the library? _Thank you?_ What was I supposed to say to that? Turn around and say, "Oh no problem Hermione, catch you later best friend!" _No. _I couldn't. I couldn't even think about this girl without something bad happening to my reputation.

"Draco, Draco!" a squeaky female voice called from behind me. For a second, something inside me twisted thinking it was _her – _but that feeling quickly vanished as I realized it was no other than Pansy Parkinson. She was _very _sweet but extremely clingy and not something I technically wanted to deal with at the moment.

She wrapped her arms around my neck; something I presume was supposed to be romantic but felt extremely awkward and forced.

"Hi, Pansy." I kissed her on the cheek and she immediately relaxed her death grip.

"How are you doing, Mister Draco." She giggled into my ear. I always liked the way Pansy smelled; candy and flowers…

"Not so good actually… I'm guessing you heard." I looked up towards the sky and closed my eyes.

"Yeah… I did. I'll find a way to mess her up, don't you worry about it." Pansy whispered menacingly and skipped down the hill, catching up to me.

"That won't be necessary Pansy." I chuckled, imagining Pansy trying to fight Hermione.

"Just let Pansy plan." She gave me a firm poke in my waist and ran off back inside. Well, _this _was going to be interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione's POV:

"It should be a sunshine yellow colour, not the colour of _shit, _Granger." He sneered. I looked down at the bubbling cauldron to get a better view of the concoction, but just as soon as I leaned in, I found myself jerking back.

"Why does it smell like this?" I exclaimed as I plugged my nose in horror. I had never smelled something so putrid in my entire life!

"Because we're doing it wrong."

"_Obviously." _I snapped back at him. Professor Slughorn poked his head in between our shoulders and let out a small giggle.

"Well, well, well, I see we are having a bit of trouble in Table Five aren't we? What seems to be the problem?" he chirped.

"The only problem we have is that Granger refuses to listen to me. She insists on putting Ashwinder Eggs though I know for a fact it's wrong. Just look at that thing!" he pointed to the cauldron just as the potion began to ooze out of its corners.

"_Oh my…" _Professor Slughorn's eyebrows creased together.

"It really isn't as bad as it looks like." I tried wiping the liquid off the table with a napkin, but more seemed to be pouring out.

"Maybe you should listen to Mr. Malfoy tomorrow." Professor Slughorn gave a half-heartedly smile and walked off. I rifled through my bag, making sure that my notebook was in it so I could avoid another confrontation with _him. _I stalked off not turning back to look at Malfoy and gripped Harry's arm on the way out.

"Blimey Hermione, you're going to stop my circulation." He chuckled. I loosened my grip on him and gave him a soft smile.

"How's it going? Working with _Malfoy_?" Ron asked, catching up from behind us. I shrugged nonchalantly. If I told them how I was _really _feeling, how I dreaded every morning waking up and how I was scared for my life every time his arm accidently grazed mine, well, they would probably kill Malfoy just so I wouldn't have to be partners with him.

"If he tries to do anything to you…" Ron muttered through clenched teeth. I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry Ron." I said, trying to comfort him. I couldn't help but smile at Ron's expression. He was so protective and I loved that about him. I always felt safe with Ronald around.

"Hermione!" a voice called from behind me. I spun around on my heels and saw Pansy Parkinson making her way towards me, waving. _Pansy? I thought she hated me… _

"Er…hi, Pansy." My voice wavered. What on earth could she possibly want? When she finally reached me, I noticed she was carrying a box.

"Thank goodness I found you! I've been looking _all _over the halls. These are for you." She shoves the box into my hands. I spin it around a couple of times and give it a good shake.

"Sorry but what is this?" I asked while I looked for some sort of label on it.

"They're from Draco."

I stopped moving and slowly moved my eyes up to meet hers.

"From…_Draco?" _I asked completely perplexed. She nodded and began to walk away.

"Pansy, wait! I was just with him in class… why didn't he give me this there?" maybe I was hallucinating, but I swore I saw a flicker of panic flash in her eyes…but whatever I saw vanished before I could question her.

"He didn't want to give it to you in front of all those people… you know Draco." She giggled and walked off. No, actually, I _don't _"know Draco."

"What do you think it is?" I leaped at the sound of Ron's voice. I had completely forgotten they were there.

"No idea…"

"Well, go on, open it up!" Harry poked my arm. I began to slowly rip off the wrapping paper. When I finally finished unwrapping it, I was left with a medium sized brown box. I pushed off the lid and inside laid a single flower.

"It's a _daisy?" _Ron's voice echoed from behind me.

"I love daisies…" I mumbled to nobody in particular.

"What game does he think he's playing?" Ron began to discuss with Harry all the possible reasons why Draco could have sent me it. I could see them standing there, but their voices seemed to be melting away. I was being drawn to the flower… I _needed _this flower… I drew the flower towards my face, and took one deep breath in…

Draco's POV:

_ What had I come in here for again? _I stood in the middle of the Slytherin common room completely unaware of my intentions. With all the stress that was going on lately, I had seemed to be losing things, friendships, and most possibly my mind. Suddenly, I heard quick and loud footsteps coming from behind me and before I could turn around, I had crashed down onto the floor. Actually, _somebody _had thrown me to the ground and was lying on top of me.

"Draco." The person moaned my name into my ear. She began to kiss the back of my neck in a circular motion. For a second, I thought of just letting her continue and not bother checking who it was, but something inside me clicked. _That voice… _

I somehow managed to scoot my way from under her and stood up in one great leap. Lying on the floor with the dreamiest expression in her eyes was none other than Hermione Granger.

"_Granger?" _I croaked out. Was I dreaming? No… why would I be having a sexual dream about Granger, that would be absolutely absurd.

"Yes my pumpkin patch?" she giggled while twirling a lock of her curly hair in her finger. _Pumpkin path?_

"Okay, I'm going to need you to explain to me what the bloody hell is going on." I craned my neck to make sure nobody was coming. If anybody would walk in and see this…_oh Merlin. _

"What do you mean, Draco? You sent me that _beaaaautiful _flower, and I thought… oh my gosh… I love Draco! And he loves me! What should are babies be named?"

"Granger, I'm going to need you to listen to me carefully." I grabbed her shoulders firmly.

"What is it, dear?" she asked dabbing her eyelashes as if she had a nervous twitch.

"You don't love me. I don't love you. We're not having babies. I didn't give you a flower. And I have no bloody idea what is going on."

"What are you _talking about? _Pansy gave me the beautiful flower and-,"

"Pansy? _Pansy _gave you the – oh no." it all made sense now. She must have put some form of a love potion on the flower… Granger took a big whiff of it and now… _this. _There has to be something I can do…

I found myself basically dragging Hermione to the one place I knew I could find something to snap her back into reality. I reached the door I was looking for and knocked on it furiously. It swung open almost immediately.

"What the-,"

"No time to explain, Blaise. She's on some sort of love potion that Pansy gave her…just- just fix her." I shoved Hermione towards Blaise and she whined at the loss of contact.

"You sure you don't want to take advantage of this situation." Blaise winked and fiddled with the end of Hermione's skirt.

"_No! _No… no, I would never get with a _mudblood_." He shrugged and sat her down on the floor. He began to shove through jars on a cabinet until he finally pulled out a small vile containing a form of silver liquid.

"This should do it." I gripped the vile and with shaking hands, and poured it into her mouth. Her eyes went from dreamy to vacant, and for a moment my heart stopped. Had something gone wrong? Had it been the wrong potion? She collapsed onto the floor unconscious. I felt myself beginning to panic.

"What – what did you do?" I bellowed. Blaise chuckled with his arms crossed.

"Just wait…" he whispered, and suddenly her eyes fluttered open.

Hermione's POV:

_My head hurts, _was the first thought that popped into my mind as my vision cleared. Where was I? I looked around and let out a yelp as I saw Blaise and Malfoy standing in front of me. Blaise had a rather amused expression on his face and Malfoy…well… he looked _petrified. _

"What – what did you do to me?" I stuttered, scurrying off the floor.

"I think what you should be saying is thank you." Blaise patted me on the back and sulked off leaving me alone with Malfoy.

"_You… _what did you do?" I shoved him on the chest sending him crashing against the wall.

"I didn't do anything Hermione!" he yelled back at me. I held my breath. _Hermione? _Well, that was new.

"Look Granger… Pansy put a love potion in the flower she gave you and you…well…"

I suddenly felt my throat twist in a knot.

"I don't want to know." I muttered, feeling sick to my stomach. I rubbed my temples and sighed.

"I'll just be going now." I whispered and walked towards the door. Draco's arm reached out from next to me, blocking my exit. I peered over at him slowly and I couldn't help but notice a strange emotion in his eyes, one I had never seen before…_concern. _

"Are you…okay?" he asked, his breath staggered. I nodded, holding my breath. He removed his hand and gave a quick nod in return.

"Bye Malfoy." I whispered before running off.


	3. Chapter 3

**I appreciate every single Story Alert & Story Favorite I get! It really really means a lot! But... if you guys could review, it would make my whole entire day! Cause I'd love to hear what you guys like about it - and what maybe I could improve on. Feed-back is much appreciated! :D **

Hermione's POV:

I couldn't be more relived that I didn't have Potions the next day. I wouldn't be able to face him after what had happened the other night. Ginny was sitting crossed legged next to me, tapping a pen against her lip.

"What rhymes with "_again_"?" her eyes squinted in concentration.

"What's the full sentence?" I asked, my eyes still fixed on the window next to me.

"Never mind…" she murmured and closed the notebook in her hands. Lavender suddenly barged in with a huge smile plastered on her face.

"I'm _so _excited for the Quidditch game today! Ronald is going to be _so _totally amazing, I can feel it." She giggled as she sat next to me. I peered over at Lavender and couldn't help but feel extremely jealous. Her long light brown hair fell in loose waves and framed her round face perfectly. She had a cute button-nose and a smile that would make any guy melt.

"Speaking of Ronald… is there something going on between you two?" I couldn't stop myself from asking.

"Well, not _officially…" _I felt my lips form a smirk and a rush of relief filled my body.

"But anyway, are you girls going? You _have _to go!" she squealed and shook me by my shoulders.

"I'll go if you stop shaking me." Lavender let go, making a "_humph" _noise as she did so.

"Oh, I'm so dumb. I completely forgot…" Ginny thumped her head and chuckled.

"What? Is Won-Won asking for me?" Lavender gasped, her eyes fluttering with hope.

"_Won-won?" _I muttered under my breath.

"No, actually… but Ron and Harry wanted to see you, _Hermione_. They're in the Great Hall." Ginny continued, completely ignoring Lavender.

"_Oh…_" Lavender sunk back down in her seat. I gave Lavender a quick pat on the back before running off to the Great Hall.

"She called me _Won-Won?_" Ron broke out into a fit of laughter as I explained to him what had happened earlier.

"Apparently the two of you are in a relationship."

"I guess it's going on in her head because I wasn't aware of it." Ron chuckled and took a sip of his pumpkin juice.

"Are you nervous for the game?" Harry asked, studying his friend.

"A bit… you know, it's a huge game. I don't want to mess up." Ron fidgeted with his fingers obviously more nervous than he was letting on to be.

"You'll be fine, Ron." I smiled encouragingly. Ron shrugged and lowered his gaze to the floor. That's when I noticed Harry slipping something into Ron's juice.

"_Harry!" _I hissed nudging him in the rib cage with my elbow. I saw him tuck the vile into his pocket and immediately recognized the potion. Ron was about to reach for his drink but I grabbed his arm before he could.

"Don't!" I bellowed, obviously startling him.

"Bloody hell, Hermione! What's wrong with you?" Ron asked with his eyes wide.

"Harry just poured Liquid Luck into your pumpkin juice!" I whispered. Ron looked over at Harry, his eyebrows creased together.

"No idea what she's talking about." Harry muttered and then began to whistle casually. I looked back over at Ron and saw a look on his face that I most certainly did not like.

"Don't do it…" I warned him. But he either didn't hear me, or didn't care, because he chugged down the pumpkin juice without a second of doubt.

He placed the cup down onto the table slowly, a sly grin on his face.

"So?" I asked a bit worried.

"Come on Harry. We've got a game to win." he then leaped up from his table enthusiastically and charged off.

Draco's POV:

I don't know why I was even bothering to go to the game. It had started fifteen minutes ago, and I was already late. But I suppose I had nothing better to do. I made my way towards the stands but decided it was best not to be seen. I don't want to have to deal with Crabbe and Goyle… much less, Pansy. I found myself walking under the stands, maneuvering my way underneath everybody. I could hear the sounds of everybody cheering that dreadful chant: _"Weasley can save anything, He never leaves a single ring, that's why Gryffindor's all sing, Weasley is our king!"_ Dumbest cheer I've ever heard, if you ask me.

I soon realized that I must have taken a wrong turn because I was currently under the Gryffindor stands. No wonder I could hear that bloody chant so loud. I looked up and could make out a few people above me. The Patil twins were giggling and cheering as they waved Gryffindor flags. I scoffed and kept moving forwards. As I came to a stop, I looked up and saw someone that stood out from everybody else. The people around her were cheering like mad but she was sitting with her hands clasped together, a worried expression creased on her face. And of course, it had to be _Hermione. _

It looks more like she's in a classroom rather than a Quidditch Game. Why does she have to be so damn up-tight? As I looked up at her and wondered why she was so concerned, I noticed she shifted in her seat, causing her skirt to move back a little. I shot my gaze down to the floor immediately. I knew if I'd look up, I'd see right up her skirt. I could have easily stayed and gotten a good show, but instead, I decided it wasn't worth it and stormed off back towards the grounds.

Hermione's POV:

"Weasley! Weasley! Weasley!" the whole room roared as Ron stood in the middle of the crowd, holding the trophy up in the air for everybody to see. I couldn't help but grin at the sight of Ron so happy. I noticed Harry walk up next to me, a smirk on his face.

"_This _is your entire fault." I chuckled, shoving him playfully on the shoulder. He reached into his pocket and took out the vile I had seen earlier and I gasped in shock.

"It's full! That means-,"

"He did this all by himself." Harry looked over at me and smiled. I looked back towards Ron and what I saw made me stop breathing. Lavender was clinging onto Ron, her arms wrapped around his neck and they were kissing. I thought maybe, just for a second, that she had thrown herself on top of him and he would push her away. But he didn't… he continued the kiss, making everybody cheer louder. I could feel the room beginning to spin and the walls melting around me. I backed away from the crowd, feeling as though I was moving in slow-motion. I couldn't breathe. My throat had closed up and I needed to get air. I found myself stumbling down small steps, collapsing on the floor in defeat. I let myself go completely; knocking down all the walls I had built up, I began to sob. I could hear footsteps coming from behind me.

"Harry?" my voice quivered, but as I turned around, it wasn't him.

"Granger?" Draco looked down at me warily.

"Oh, it's you." I whispered, turning back. I thought maybe he would walk away but instead he made his way in front of me and leaned against the window.

"Aren't you going to ask what's wrong?" I asked, wiping my cheeks with my sleeve. He sighed and rolled his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Not that _you_ would care but… Ron, well, he kissed Lavender. And I had thought… maybe he liked me. _Gosh, _I feel stupid. I even thought he would take me to Slughorn's Christmas Party!" I covered my face with my hands in humiliation. How had could I have been so naïve?

"Wouldn't that have been cute? The Weasel and the Mudblood snogging at the Christmas Party!" Draco chuckled as he fidgeted with the ring on his finger. I felt the anger bubbling inside me.

"What are you even doing here, Malfoy? You obviously don't care that I'm upset so why don't you just _leave!_" I choked out and felt more tears escape my eyes.

"Go with me." I heard him say. I looked up at him, perplexed.

"_What?" _My ears obviously had deceived me.

"Go with me to Slughorn's Party. If you really want to get back at Weasel, go with me. It'll kill him."

"You're joking, right?"

"Don't start thinking I fancy you, Granger. You're a mudblood Gryffindor, and I honestly could care less about your feelings. But I hate Weasley, and at the moment, I know you do to. Or at least you're pretty pissed off at him. So, why not?" Draco raised an eyebrow at me. He had a point. I wanted to see Ron upset. I wanted to see him feel the way I was feeling.

"Alright." I muttered, my eyes fixed on the ground below me.

"I'll pick you up at seven then." I heard him say. And when I looked up to remind him that this was simply for revenge, he was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

Draco's POV:

"You _what?" _Blaise looked like I had just told him that the world was about to explode in less than five seconds.

"It's just to get back at Weasel. Don't worry, it's not like I actually care for the girl." I tossed my ring back and forth in the air, trying to ignore Blaise's dumbfounded expression. I could sense a storm brewing outside the window next to me. I heard the low whistle of wind and the rustle of leaves.

"For now…" he muttered under his breath, I presumed it wasn't for me to hear, but I heard him clearly.

"And what is that supposed to mean? You think I'll end up…actually _caring _for that mudblood?" I spat back at him.

"You know what, Draco? Yes. Yes, I do think that if you don't stop this now, there is a possibility that you will."

"You're mad." I stood up from the couch, making my way towards the door.

"You know I'm right!" Blaise called out. I stopped dead in my tracks. Something twisted deep within me. What was it? It felt strange. Something edged at the tip of my tongue, begging to escape. And I let it.

"Maybe you are." I whispered before I could stop myself.

Hermione's POV:

I had to act as if I was okay. I _had _to act as if I was okay sitting next to Ron even though my heart was breaking into a million pieces every time I looked at him and I wanted to slap him all at the same time.

"Lavender and I have better plans… if you know what I mean." Ron chirped as we discussed our plans for Slughorn's Christmas Party.

"Well, that's just _fantastic, _Ronald. But we're discussing what we're going to do _at_ the party not what the ones who weren't invented are going to do." I hissed.

"I think someone's just bitter because they don't have a date…" Ron muttered. Harry cleared his throat and widened his eyes at Ron.

"For your information – I do have a date!" I exclaimed, my face red.

"Oh? Do you, now?" Ron questioned.

"Yes and it's… it's…" something was stopping the name from escaping my mouth. Just _say it, _Hermione! Draco Malfoy….Draco Malfoy…Draco Malfoy…Draco-

"Cormac McLaggen." Ron's face immediately went from amused, to horrified.

"_Cormac? _You're going with _Cormac? _Are you bloody insane Hermione? Do you know the reputation that prick has? You don't want to go out with him, you-,"

"How dare you tell me what I want! You don't know anything, Ronald!" I stormed off without a glance back. I was so infuriated that I even forgot my books.

As I charged forward through the halls I got a very unsettling feeling inside of me. What on earth was I going to do? I had told Ron and Harry that I was going with Cormac to Slughorn's Party instead of Draco… what was Harry going to do when he saw me with _Draco? _I mean… I could always just cancel on him but-

I landed on the floor with a thud. My messy brown hair covered my face so I couldn't quite see who I had bumped into. I shook my head until my vision was completely clear and gasped in shock when I saw who I had collided with.

"Malfoy?" my voice quivered. He looked just as startled as I probably did. But there was something else wrong – his eyes were red and puffy.

"Have you been crying?" I whispered as I scooted towards him. There was something very different about Draco. He usually looked so smug and sure of himself but at this particular moment, he looked so small and frail.

"I – no… no I haven't." he hissed, glaring his eyes towards me. Why was he being so defensive?

"Well, it looks like it. You don't have to lie, you know?" I tried to edge my way closer to him but he flinched at my movement.

"I'm not lying! You filthy little mudbloo-," he stopped speaking, his breath caught in his throat. Usually, his ignorant insults don't affect me but for some reason, this time, it hurt. It _really _hurt. He pushed himself up off the ground and averted his eyes away from me.

"I'll…pick you up at seven." He muttered before sulking off into the crowd.

I paced back and forth biting my lip, my silver heels thumping against the floor with each step. I peered over at the clock on the wall that had seemed to taunt me for the past forty minutes. He was late. Or maybe he wasn't showing up. Oh, well this doesn't surprise me at all. That _arse. _No worries, I'll simply go stag. It doesn't matter… I just need to avoid Cormac the whole night and simultaneously make it seem that I'm with him. How hard can this be?  
>When I had managed to finally find the party, I was actually quite impressed with the decorations. The ceilings and walls had been draped with emerald, crimson, and gold hangings and there was loud music playing in a distant corner. I heard a squeal come from a far edge of the room and I turned to see Parvati making her way towards me.<p>

"Hermione, you're late! But you look so beautiful… where's Cormac?"

"Pardon?"

"Cormac… he _did _ask you to the party, didn't he?" her eyebrow raised in speculation.

"Oh! Oh, Cormac… yes, of course. He just went to…get me something to drink." I managed to lie.

"I'll gather up the rest of the girls, I'm sure they're dying to see you with Cormac." She giggled and ran off in the direction she had come from. I needed to hide. My eyes wandered the room until I found a small area that was enclosed by a drape. I scurried off and sighed in relief when I finally was able to relax hidden from the crowd. It wasn't long though that the drape swished open and Harry stumbled inside.

"Hermione, what are you doing? And what happened to you?" Harry scrunched his eyebrows together, closing the drapes.

"I just escaped." I saw the look of confusion in Harry's face. Oh Merlin, Hermione, make something up…

"I mean… I left Cormac under the mistletoe." The lie slipped out easier than I expected. Harry crossed his arms.

"Why _did _you invite Cormac?"

"I…I thought it would annoy Ron the most." Actually, I thought _Draco _would annoy Ron the most. A waiter suddenly entered, holding the drapes open.

"Dragon Tartare?" he chirped. As I politely declined, I accidently made eye-contact with Cormac and to my complete horror he began to make his way towards us.

"Are you positive? They're actually quite-,"

"We said no!" I bellowed. The waiter rolled his eyes and ducked his head away.

"Oh, god here he comes." I managed to roll under the drapes just as soon as Cormac entered.

"I – think she just went to powder her nose." I heard Harry mutter. I scurried off before I could hear the rest of their conversation. I wonder how this night would have turned out of I had gone with Draco. Maybe I even would have enjoyed myself, pretending to be a couple just so I could get a kick out of Ron… oh well, forget about that. He didn't show up. He obviously doesn't care.

Draco's POV:

When I woke up I was sweating up a storm and my chest hurt with every breath I took in. I looked down at my hand and realized I was still gripping onto the bitten apple. I let go of it, the apple plopping to the ground. I wiped my hand on the couch, hoping this would remove more than just the juice of the apple.

"You alright, mate?" I jumped at the sound of Blaise's voice. I hadn't noticed he had been sitting on the couch in front of me.

"I think so…"

"You were shouting and flinching while you were asleep. A bit weird, actually." Blaise shrugged and leaned back against the couch. I looked around the room warily, trying to get my bearings back.

"You missed it though. A bunch of the guys went to gate-crash Slughorn's party. I'm sure it'll be hilarious."

My heart stopped. _Shit. _

"That's…tonight…isn't?" I croaked out slowly. Blaise nodded, a bit puzzled.

"You weren't planning to go, where you? You told me today that it was all a joke… the Hermione thing. You were just playing a joke on me, right?" I stood up from the couch as composed as I possibly could be.

"Of course, Blaine… I just wanted to gate-crash as well…and I think I'll go do that then."

"Alright, I'll go with you." Blaise gets up from the couch.

"_No! _I mean – no… don't waste your time with that." Blaise lowered himself back down on the couch slowly.

"Are you sure you're alright?" and I could tell he was genuinely concerned. I lowered my hand onto his shoulder.

"Yeah…I'm alright." And I walked off without a glance back. It wasn't difficult to find Slughorn's Party. I could probably hear the bloody music from miles away. I sat behind a wall for a while contemplating whether or not I should enter. I could hear somebody making their way inside. When they came into view, I saw it was Potter and Luna.

"I've never been to this part of the castle; at least not while awake. I sleepwalk you see…that's why I wear shoes to bed." Luna spoke before entering the room. God that girl is strange.

I found myself standing up and making my way towards the door. I peered inside the window and could see Hermione rolling under from behind a drape. What on earth was she doing? She looked petrified to be quite honest. That's when I felt a cold thin hand grip my shoulder.

Hermione's POV:

As much as I tried to avoid Cormac, I found it impossible to actually run away from him. He managed to corner me after a few minutes of successful hiding.

"Alright Granger, let's cut to the chase… I saw you staring at me. I know you want me."

"_Excuse me?" _I scoffed.

"And I'm a nice guy, so I thought… hey, why not? So I'll give you this night to be with me, how does that sound?" he slithered his arm around my waist and placed his hand far too low on my back. As I began to retort, there was a commotion in front of me. Filch stormed in, dragging Draco by the collar of his neck. I muffled in a gasp as the room fell silent. Immediately, his eyes darted to me. And then to Cormac. And then to Cormac's arm…which happened to be around my waist.

"Professor Slughorn, sir, I just discovered this boy lurking outside… he _claims _to be invited to your party by Herm-,"

"_Ok! _Ok, I was gate-crashing, happy?" Draco yelled, finally averting his eyes away from the two of us. I almost stepped forward but Snape moved before I could.

"I'll…escort him out." Snape muttered coldly. Draco's eyes shot towards me again, but this time he didn't look at Cormac... he didn't look at us... he looked at _me. _My breath seemed to be caught in my throat. I wanted to defend him but – I couldn't… I just _couldn't. _

"Certainly…Professor." Draco uttered before storming out of the room with Snape.

"Dra-," I called out but it's too late. He was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

A pain throbbed at my skull and I couldn't tell which way was left and right. I couldn't open my eyes yet, but I could hear the whispers around me.

"I _told _you I should have gone to the party." That was definitely Ginny. I tried to open my eyes but it seemed as though they were sealed shut.

"Honestly, Ginny she was fine the whole night up until… well, you know." Was that Parvati? I think it was. Suddenly, as though a weight was lifted off my body, my eyes fluttered open.

'Oh, thank goodness!" Ginny reached down and wrapped her arms around me. I flinched at the sudden sharp pain that engulfed my body.

"Oh – _sorry._" She muttered, letting go.

"What happened?" I asked groggily. They were silent.

"What…happened?" I repeated. Parvati pursed her lips together and sighed.

"Well – you… kind of… fell down the stairs."

"I _fell? _How? Why?" The room began to spin, colours blending together.

"You…_gosh, _Hermione, you don't remember?" Parvati asked her eyes wide. I shook my head, too tired to speak.

"You ran after Filch and Draco. I don't know what came over you. I think you-," Parvati stopped short with a gasp. Her eyes were staring at something far off towards the entrance of the Hospital Wing. I strained to look in her direction but I couldn't move my neck.

"I think we should go." Parvati tugged at Ginny's sleeve.

"What is it?" I tried to crane my neck towards the entrance but the pain was overwhelming and I plopped back down onto the bed in defeat. Ginny gave me a half-heartedly smile before scurrying off with Parvati. I could hear footsteps making their way towards me, each step getting louder but slower.

"You're awake." It was Draco. He had a slightly amused expression on his face, though he looked rather tired. He had large bags under his eyes, his shirt was tousled and his tie was loosened. I nodded sheepishly under Draco's gaze. There was something in his stare that unsettled me; as if he knew something that I didn't.

"You really don't remember _anything _about last night?" he hovered over my bed warily – as if he wasn't sure if he should sit down or not.

"No." I muttered. He sat down, his eyes fixed on the tile below us.

"Of course you don't." his tone was thick and sarcastic. He furrowed his eyebrows together.

"Well, I can remember you being escorted by Snape and then… nothing." I strained every corner in my memory for any recollection of what happened afterwards but all I could find was darkness. There was suddenly the sound of someone clearing their throat and Draco snapped his head up. Madam Pomfrey stood in front of us, holding a silver tray with a couple of tubes containing some sort of medicine.

"Miss Granger needs her rest. You'll be able to talk with her later on today in the halls." Her tone was stern as usual.

"You mean you're letting me out soon?"

"Yes my dear, but not for a while." She placed the tray down onto the table next to me. She eyed Draco and motioned him towards the door. I expected him to say goodbye but instead, he left without a glance back.

Draco's POV:

The cold wind bit at my nose as I stepped outside. My lungs seemed to be pushing at my rib cage and I found it very difficult to breathe. It's not like I expected her to remember – maybe it was for the best. I just felt so _angry. _I'm not even sure who I'm angry at. I see Blaise sitting perched under a tree, waving.

"You look like a mess."

"I know." I sit down next to him and sigh.

"What happened last night, Draco?" Blaise peered over at me, concern stricken on his face.

"If I tell you… I'll have to kill you." I chuckle but it's dry. He doesn't flinch.

"What happened?" he repeats.

"It's all her fault." I mutter under my breath before I explain everything.

Hermione's POV:

Part of me was glad to be able to leave the Hospital Wing, but the other missed the comfort and security of it. I limped down the halls, the eyes of the students around me burning into my back. I suddenly felt two large warm hands grip my shoulders.

"Hermione!" it's Ron and Harry. I immediately felt ten times better than I did before.

"Glad to see you're okay." Ron muttered with his hands in his pocket. Harry on the other hand looked like a concerned mother.

"Hermione, what happened? I heard you fell down the stairs."

"I…don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Harry asked puzzled.

"I mean – I can't remember."

"I guess that's what happens when you take Cormac to a party." Ron whispered under his breath.

"Honestly, Ron? You're still going to go on about Cormac?" I felt my head beginning to pound again.

"I'm just saying it was a bad idea to start with and-,"

"Why do_ you _care so much? You're… you're so frustrating, Ron!" I turned on my heels and ran off in the opposite direction. I could hear Harry calling after me.

"Wait! I need to talk to you Hermione!" I'm not sure how I managed to out-run Harry and duck into a hidden hallway – but I did. My heart was racing and my vision was being blurred by tears. I wasn't sure where I was and the walls seemed to be melting around me. I stumbled onto a flight of stairs and finally, my legs gave out from underneath me. I fell to the floor crying. There was something strange about this floor. It felt all too familiar. The roughness of the stairs, the smell of pine cones – and that's when I remembered everything.

_My heart is pounding so hard that it is all I could hear. I feel an arm wrap around my shoulders and I look over to see its Parvati. _

_ "Hermione, what's wrong? You look sick…" she places her hand on my forehead, and I flinch at the coldness of it. I back away from her feeling my stomach churn. I find myself running out of the party, the cold air hitting my face. In the distance, I can hear faint arguing. _

_ "I don't need your protection!" was that Malfoy? I begin to walk in the direction of the voices. I realize I am walking in a foreign hallway. The walls are different – even the air is different. I peer behind the wall I'm hiding behind and can see Draco and Snape standing close to each other, arguing in hushed tones. _

_ "And your father?" Snape's voice is cold and lacking sympathy. There is a long pause, and then a storm of footsteps caused by Draco storming away. Snape sighs and sulks off in the opposite direction. Though my brain is yelling to leave immediately, my body has other plans. I run so fast towards Draco that I nearly knock him over. He turns around, stunned. _

_ "Hermione? What – what the bloody hell are you doing here?" his eyes are wide, less with anger and more with confusion. _

_ "I…I actually don't know." I give a pathetic chuckle and then everything goes silent. _

_ "I forgot." He breaks the silence. _

_ "Oh – yeah, no, it's okay. You, erm, you obviously had other plans and-,"_

_ "No – really, I fell asleep. I tried to make it in time but you… found someone else… tomakeronjealous." He adds the last bit hastily. _

_ "Yeah – actually, no. Cormac is such a creep… I was trying to run away from him."_

_ "Sure didn't look like that." Draco smirks_

_ "And what is _that _supposed to mean?" I ask crossing my arms. _

_ "You two looked quite cozy when I walked in." _

_ "He's like a leach." I chuckle, leaning against the wall behind me. Draco fidgets with his ring. He does that a lot, now that I think about it. I feel the question that was itching at my tongue forming in my mouth. _

_ "Why did you look at me like that?" I surprise myself as soon as I ask it. He looks up bemused. _

_ "What?" he chuckles but something in me snaps. _

_ "You know what I'm talking about, Draco. You – you looked at me in a way that you look at someone who you…care about." I realize my tone has weakened, and I've become more sheepish by every word. I can't read his expression. His eyes are studying me and he's unreadable. _

_ "As if you were upset to see me with Cormac… as if you were-,"_

_ "Jealous?" he finishes my sentence. My stomach does a flip, and I don't know why. _

_ "Yes. Jealous." _

_ "Why would I be jealous of someone being with _you?_" The words stung. _

_ "I -,"_

_ "Do you think I care about you, Granger?"_

_ "I-,"_

_ "Do you think I'm starting to fall for you?"_

_ "No! No, I-,"_

_ "Do you think that I'm driving myself mad every day and night because I can't get you out of my head, and it's confusing me cause I'm not supposed to feel this way about you? And days on end I fight the feelings that are taking over my head about you? That whenever I see you and you bite your lip when you get angry at me I have to literally hold myself down so I don't kiss you right there in front of everybody?" the room begins to spin and I try to focus on his eyes. They're so grey and icy – yet they're beautiful. Draco's shaking and I'm pretty sure I'm shaking also, and not just from the cold. He looks up warily and too my utter surprise, he begins to lean in towards me. He's so close that I can feel his warm breath against my face. _

_ "I-," but before I can finish, he's pushed his lips against mine. I take in everything about him. His smell, his taste, the way he slides his hands around my waist with ease. I'm not sure what's happening – I feel nausea, dizziness, confusion but most of all… euphoria. _

_ Our lips part for a second to catch our breaths. My hands dig into his hair and his palms press hard down against my hips. I suddenly feel very faint and I grip onto the railings behind me._

_ "Are you okay?" he asks, but his voice is far away. It echoes all wrong and I realize his eyes are now the same colour as everything around me, and then, I fall. _

I'm shaking, pressed up against the wall behind me as I finish recollecting the previous night. I look up to see Harry standing above me.

"Hermione, are you alright? Do you remember what happened?" he leans down and presses his hand down onto my shoulder. I pause for a moment, my eyes scanning the stairs.

"No…no, I don't."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: School has started and I'm LOADED with homework – but I'll try to update as quickly as I possibly can! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE review! Your story alerting and favoriting mean the world but I'd love to hear your feed-back!**

After much arguing, I finally convinced Harry to leave me alone in the stairs. I told him I needed time to remember but what I actually needed was time to _process _what I remembered. Also, I realized that I had Potions class in fifteen minutes and I knew I had to confront him by myself. I stood up from the ground, brushing the dirt off my skirt and headed out to the main hallway.

I hadn't realized how nervous I was until I was a few feet away from the Potions classroom door. My shaking hand hovered over the doorknob. A thought crossed my mind; _maybe I should just run away and skip class – just for today._ But then Harry was behind me, smiling.

"You going in?" he asked. I gave a weak nod and entered, taking a deep breath in.

D.D.D.D.D.

I hadn't seen her come in. One second I was staring at her empty seat, wondering where in the world she could be, and then in an instant she was scurrying into her seat, her hair a complete mess.

"You're late." I muttered, a bit surprised. She shot her head in my direction and gave a weedy grin.

"Er- yeah…" she focused her eyes back down and aimlessly shuffled the papers on her desk. I could see her hands were shaking, and just as I was about to ask, Professor Slughorn spoke.

"Alright class… we were supposedto move on to another potion but it seems _some _of our students," he bluntly looks over at Hermione and I, "haven't finished their Elixir to Induce Euphoria. So continue on that and tomorrow, we shall move forward!" he clasped his hands together and scampered off behind his desk. When I looked back towards Hermione, I noticed her eyes were wide and distant.

"What's wrong with _you_?" I chuckled, stirring the cauldron in front of me. She paused, biting her lower lip. I sighed and dropped my hands to my waist.

"Come on… out with, Granger."

"I remember." The words came out so fast that at first, I thought I had imagined it.

"Sorry?_" _

"I remember, Draco. I remember _everything._" Her eyes were still glued to her lap and her lip had begun to quiver.

"I-," but before I could say anything, Professor Slughorn stuck his head in-between our shoulders making us both jump.

"Everything okay?"

"Yes." I muttered, my eyes focused on Hermione.

"Positive?"

"Positive." I answered, my gaze _still _stuck on her. He shrugged and finally bustled off to bother some other table. Even as he left, my eyes didn't move from her, and I knew she could tell.

"What do you want me to say?" she asked, finally looking up at me. I hated her. I hated how she made me feel so weak and vulnerable. I would have usually snapped with a witty remark, but looking at her so confused and worried – I _couldn't, _I just bloody couldn't.

"What did last night mean, exactly?" her voice quivered. I fidgeted with the ring on my finger. I looked down at it and immediately reminded me of who I was…who I'd _become. _I looked back up at her into her innocent sweet eyes and something in my twisted. I couldn't bring her into all of this. It wouldn't be right.

"I don't know, Granger." I was cold and emotionless – and I made sure I was. She flinched at the tone of my voice.

"So… what – was I some… some one-night snog?" she glared up at me but I quickly averted my eyes away from her. I steadied my breathing and clenched my fists under the table.

"You actually thought… I _cared _about you? It was all a lie, Granger. How stupid can you be?" the words stung my mouth as I spoke them. She scoffed and stood up from her chair, knocking down her books at the same time.

"You complete… _arse!" _I could see tears forming in her eyes. I noticed Harry making his way towards us, his eyes daggers.

"Sit _down, _Hermione." I hissed. Finally, the tears spilled out of her eyes and that was enough for Harry to shove me hard in the chest, sending me flying to the floor.

"What is going on here?" Professor Slughorn stood up from his desk, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Nothing… absolutely nothing." Hermione muttered before storming out of the classroom just as the bell rung.

H.H.H.H.H.

I stumbled out the door ignoring the whispers and murmurs from behind me. I couldn't tell where I was going, tears blocking my vision. My head hurt and my eyes stung. How _could _I have been so stupid? He was right. He's _Malfoy, _and he'll always be Malfoy.

I staggered towards the Gryffindor Common Room and was just about to enter when I felt a hand grip my shoulder.

"_Don't _touch-," but as I turned around, it was Ron.

"Oh. It's just you." I muttered, trying to compose myself. Ron studied me, obviously worried.

"You've been crying… because of me? I-,"

"No! Not because of _you. _Because of – well… it doesn't matter now." I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear avoiding my eyes from meeting his.

"I need to talk to you about Draco." My breathing stopped, caught in my throat.

"W-what?" I stuttered out, baffled.

"We think he might be planning something for Voldemort." In a strange way, I almost felt relieved. I thought he had known about last night… but then immediately, I processed what he had said.

"For _Voldemort? _But – no. He can't be." Even though I knew Draco was a jerk, he couldn't _possibly _be secretly working with Voldemort… could he?

"Harry overheard Draco and Snape talking after Slughorn's Party." My heart skipped a beat. I had followed him and only heard the end of their conversation… and then – well… you know what happened.

"Well what did they say?"

"Snape spoke about some plan Draco is working on, and he said that he could help him but then Draco said he didn't want the help and – I don't know. Something is definitely wrong though." As much as I didn't want to admit it – It made sense. My anger towards Draco grew inside.

"I say we go outside – talk a walk. With Harry of course…"

"Okay. Fine." I brushed past him and as I quickly took a glance behind me, I could see Ron was smiling.

** A/N: BEFORE YOU START COMPLAINING – there will be more Dramione love soon to come – don't you fret ;) But what good would a Dramione story be without some fighting & anger? I'll update soon!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: DON'T HURT ME! I LOVE YOU ALL, I'M VERY SORRY. I ONLY ONE HAVE EXCUSE FOR YOU: SCHOOL. ENJOY! PLEASE REVIEW!**

"Can't you two just make up already?" Harry stood with his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on Ron and I.

"Not until Ronald apologizes."

"For _what?_!" Ron exclaimed.

"Being a complete arse!" I bellowed back at him.

"Enough! I will go back to the common room and take a nap if you two don't settle this right now. That's right. No afternoon walk."

"Fine… I'm…I'm sorry, Hermione…" Ron whispered under his breath.

"And what are you sorry for?" I asked, smiling and batting my eyelashes.

"Being an arse…" he muttered, rolling his eyes. I looked up at Ron's annoyed expression and couldn't help but giggle. _Ugh,_ it's impossible to stay mad at him.

"You're forgiven, Ron." I linked my arm with his, and then with Harry's as I began to skip along the snowy ground.

"Well, finally!" Harry chuckled. The three of us began to laugh, and just for a split second, everything felt… normal, again. That was until Katie Bell appeared. Her long black hair was covering her face, and she stood motionless.

"Katie? Katie, are you alright?" I let go of Ron and Harry, and took a step towards her. Suddenly, she soared thirty feet into the air, her eyes and mouth wide open, a blood-curling scream erupting from her mouth.

Draco's POV:

The liquor burned my throat as I took another sip from the bottle. I loved the way alcohol made me feel as everything bad in the world was gone. All my problems vanished and I was left with an overwhelming sensation of ease. Suddenly, Blaine barged in, and before I could react, he snatched the bottle from my hand.

"How much have you drunk?" he asked as he peered into the bottle.

"Mmm… 4 shots…times two. And _uh, _half of that bottle right there." I replied, placing my feet on the table in front of me.

"You're wasted, Draco. You have to focus… you can't be like this, not now." But as he tried to tuck the bottle into his coat, I jumped up and snatched it from him taking one big sip.

"Why! Why can't I just have some _fuuuuuuun?_ I, Draco Malfoy, deserve fun. But… you know what? I don't deserve to have Hermione Granger. I don't deserve to have her beautiful, soft hands, nestled in my hair."

"Draco… what are you talking about?"

"I like Hermione Granger. Yup. I like her. I _really _like her. She's just so _pretty!_" I threw my hands in the air and sunk down into the couch.

"You can't like her, Draco. You can't do this. You can't be with her…"

"Why? Cause she's a "mudblood?" Is that why?" I charged towards him until he was backed up against the wall.

"No…No, Draco, that's not it…"

"Then what it is! Huh? Spit it out!"

"Because you're right! You _don't_ deserve her, Draco! And you can't put her in the middle of your situation. You're only going to get her hurt… and you know that." I backed away from him, a sly smile on my face.

"Now… was that so hard to say?" I made my way towards the door, my mind set on where I wanted to go.

"Where do you think you're going? You're mental if you're going to go talk to her! Draco! She's going to get hurt! If you care about her you'll leave her-" but I slammed the door before I could hear the rest of his sentence.

Hermione's POV:

I let my hair loose as I slithered my way into bed. The girls had gone out to visit Katie in the Hospital Wing to sleep there for the night, but I couldn't. That afternoon had scarred me, seeing her like that… I just needed some time.

Then, as I was beginning to drift off into sleep, there was a loud knock from the wall in front of me.

"Hello?" I called out to the darkness. Suddenly, the outer rim of a door began to form on the wall, as well as a doorknob. I pushed myself against the frame of my bed, gripping my wand tightly. The doorknob began to turn slowly and then, the door swung open. When I saw who it was, my fear immediately vanished.

It was Draco. He stood leaning against the door frame, his tie disheveled and his hair a mess. He was smiling down at me, a strange expression on his face.

"_Hermioooneeee…" _he moaned my name as he stumbled towards me. I gaped at him in shock.

"Are you…_drunk_?" it was a stupid question. He was obviously drunk out of his mind. He chuckled and sat at the foot of my bed, tracing the duvet with his fingers.

"Perhaps."

" W-what are you doing here? And in this state! You shouldn't be roaming the halls at night, nonetheless drunk!"

"Don't be so fucking up-tight, Hermione." He scooted towards me, until his face was inches away from mine.

"Why are you doing this?" I whispered, my eyes averting his.

"Doing what?"

"_Don't." _my eyes darted to his, but as soon as I made contact with his eyes, my breath seemed to be caught in my throat.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." he began to trace my leg with the tips of his fingers.

"That! Don't… play me, Draco. Please… I've been hurt to many times in the past." Suddenly, his hand stopped moving and he became very serious.

"Are you really that dumb, Hermione? You honestly believed what I said during Potions class? That I didn't care about you? That it was all a lie? I was shaking, Hermione. You saw me. You saw me gripping the table, and clenching my teeth. You're honestly going to spit that bullshit that you _believed_ me?"

"I – don't, turn this on me…"

"Why? You have as much of the blame as I do! Come on, Hermione! Open your eyes! Can't you see it? You're a smart girl… I'm sure you've realized it by now."

"Realized what?"

"Really, Hermione? You're going to make me say it?" Draco rubbed his face with his hands and chuckled.

"Just… just say it, Draco!" I bellowed.

"_I'm in love with you! _Merlin, Hermione! Isn't it bloody obvious? I... I'm in love with you." I felt my whole body beginning to shake, the dizziness and faint feeling I felt that night after Slughorn's party taking over me again.

"No… no, don't faint again, Hermione. Don't forget again. Stay here. Stay with me. Come on. Look at me. Look at my eyes. Don't faint, you can do it." Suddenly, the darkness that was beginning to cloud my vision, vanished.

"I'm…okay." I stuttered. Draco smiled, and leaned in towards me slowly. It felt as though he was moving like molasses, I couldn't take it anymore. I lunged myself at him, knocking him down onto the bed. I took in everything about him. His smell. His taste. His hair. His skin. _Him. _

I wrapped my legs around his waist as he sat up. I was completely intoxicated by Draco Malfoy. I nestled my hands into his hair, pulling at it as he bit onto my lip. I noticed he began to tug at my pants. A part of me wanted to let him slip them off, but the reserved part of me took over as jerked back.

"I'm – I…"

"Don't. It's okay. I understand." He began to leave a trail of kisses down my neck as he led me down onto my pillow. Too my surprise, he didn't persist to go any further, he simply laid down next to me, wrapping his arm around my waist.

"Goodnight Hermione." He whispered into my ear, and we both fell into a deep sleep.

**I know it was a long wait, I'm truly very sorry! If you're an old reviewer and you just read this, THANK YOU FOR WAITING AND STICKING AROUND! I LOVE YOU! **


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